Laminated plastic identification cards are in widespread use by a variety of different entities; many governmental bodies and corporations regularly issue hundreds of thousands of such identification cards annually. In most instances, the identification card comprises a paper or plastic insert to which identification images (a photograph, handwritten legend, typewritten data, etc.) has been applied, sandwiched between two transparent protective plastic films that are then sealed together under heat and pressure. The protective covering sheets or films are frequently of a composite construction, each having an outer surface layer of a hard, tough, abrasion-resistant polyester and an interior surface layer of polyethylene or other heat-and-pressure sealable resin. In a driver's license or in an identification card used for admission of an individual to a sensitive area, the core or insert may include a photograph. In some systems, all of the identification data on the insert is reproduced by photography.
One recurring problem in the manufacture of laminated plastic identification cards, particularly in small systems where a single card is produced at any given time, pertains to alignment of the core or data sheet within the two protective outer resin films. A variety of different arrangements have been proposed to obtain the necessary alignment so that the cover sheets will afford maximum protection to the core sheet, including pre-formed ridges in the cover sheets, pre-lamination of the cover sheets along one edge, and other expedients. Nevertheless, this particular difficulty continues to recur, especially in systems in which identification cards are produced on an individual basis.
Another continuing problem with laminated resin identification cards pertains to security. Here again, a number of different expedients have been proposed to protect the cards against the usual technique for alteration, which entails careful splitting of the two cover sheets from each other to expose the core sheet so that the data on that sheet can be altered. Some of these expedients work quite well, and others are less effective, but virtually all entail additional cost.
One of the better systems for effective management of the core alignment problem noted above is presented in Drower et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,918,188. In the laminating pouch construction described in that patent, two sheets of protective film material are joined along one edge to form a substantially V-shaped pouch. The two film sheets are each precision cut to form a center panel connected to a rim by a plurality of frangible bridges; the two panels are maintained in accurate registry with each other. An identification card core, bearing appropriate ID data, is inserted into this pouch, after which the two protective sheets are sealed together under heat and pressure. The central portion of the pouch, comprising the two sealed center panels, is then broken out and affords the desired identification card. This arrangement is quite good, in many applications, for maintaining effective alignment of the core within the pouch. On the other hand, it does not provide for a substantial improvement in security as compared with a number of other known arrangements.